As PA students, we’re all tirelessly studying for exams. We create flashcards, study guides, mnemonics and charts to learn in our own way. The sheer amount of information we encounter is mind boggling.

But what if we were able to crowd-source that information and empower other students from PA programs across the nation? We might revolutionize our ability to study effectively and create friendships in the process.

I created Intercollegiate Physician Assistant Students to allow free and open communication between students who are currently enrolled or have graduated from a PA program. Coincidentally, the group’s acronym, IPAS, displays its intentions – to help PA students succeed academically.

Students are already benefiting from the group. They are now able to find out where others from various programs are rotating, connect with them and even lend a hand.

A small example is Kelly Muench of Carroll University, who helped me find housing for my surgery rotation in Green Bay.

PA students: unite!

I hope you’ll consider joining and invite friends in other PA programs around the nation to join the group. You can begin sharing information and even stories that benefit us all as professionals.

This unique opportunity is at our doorstep. By joining together, I have no doubt that we can help one another achieve our goals in our respective programs and as clinicians.

Jimmy W. Clark Jr. is a first-year PA student at University of Wisconsin–Madison. He is co-chair of MEDiC, a medical clinic run by students that provides free medical care to the underserved community in Madison, Wis.